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Austria ex-finance minister advising Gazprom

Hans Jorg Schelling, Austria's former finance minister, is doing consultancy work for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project according to the Austrian regional newspaper, Oberosterreichische Nachrichten. The controversial pipeline is being laid by the Russian-state gas giant Gazprom but has generated backlash among international observers given how the Kremlin uses energy supplies to leverage political and strategic concessions.

Opinion

Sometimes in chess, a sacrifice brings victory. Theresa May should pay heed to the example of Slovakia's premier, Iveta Radicova, who sacrificed her job in order to get difficult euro bailout legislation through the Bratislava parliament.

The EU commission is giving more time to the Swiss government to endorse a deal that would put various sectorial agreements to access the single market under one deal. Nevertheless, after Brexit, the EU has had enough of exceptions.